Public forum addresses concerns with Lewiston initiative

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LEWISTON, ID - Citizens addressed their concerns Thursday evening regarding an initiative that, if approved, would put an end to some of the current financial practices of the Lewiston City government.

Mayor Kevin Poole went head-to-head against Taxpayers Against Unfair Taxation Chairman David Estes for an hour long debate at the Lewis-Clark State College Library. The two went back and forth answering questions and addressing the public concerns regarding the city's current practice of allowing funds to be transferred internally from one account to another to accommodate spending for emergency use of cash flow issues. That's a practice that Estes feels is disingenuous.

"Do you want to be taxed through fees or do you want to be openly taxed so that you can see and understand what you're being taxed for," said Estes.

"This initiative ties the hands of the city and actually impacts operations of the city which will actually cost more," said Poole.

If the initiative is approved, the City of Lewiston will no longer have the ability to adjust their finances during the year through the use of internal savings or reserve funds. The initiative will be decided during the upcoming general election on Tuesday.